Festival of Cinema NYC

Entering its sixth year, Festival of Cinema NYC will be taking place from August 5th - 14th, 2022. Returning as an In-Person event, the festival welcomes filmmakers and attendees to the legendary Regal UA Midway theater in Queens, New York. Quickly becoming New York City's premiere festival for the best in Independent Film, the festival works hard to get our filmmakers the most exposure possible for them and their film. From Red Carpet Press Events to Industry Networking Nights to the Opening, Closing and Awards party - filmmakers are offered numerous opportunities to get their film in front of the right the people, and screened before large audiences. Festival of Cinema NYC seeks the best in independent film of all lengths and genres. Whether your film is a drama, comedy, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, documentary, experimental, LGBTQ, animation, etc. - we want to show it! Our Opening Night, Closing Night, Midweek Red Carpet Event, and special events like the Midnight Madness and Underground Films presentation are all selected from the very best submissions we receive. Plus, every filmmaker that submits their film(s) will automatically receive a one-year subscription to Videomaker Digital Magazine, a leading subscription service that focuses on guiding independent filmmakers with online tutorials and publications (a $20 value). Our only criteria is that your film must be truly independent and not backed by any of the seven major movie studios. All selected filmmakers get VIP passes that allow entry into all our screenings, events, and parties. Because Festival of Cinema NYC was founded by independent filmmakers, we understand the needs and challenges that filmmakers face. Our festival staff is committed to offering filmmakers the opportunities they seek to promote and ultimately have their film seen and sold. Since our inception in 2017, many films have found distribution through our sponsors, with many more being offered distribution deals by visiting distributors. Our festival’s growing reputation of top-notch independent films has consistently attracted more distributors every year, making it a possibility to interact with distributors directly! One of the key components to Festival of Cinema NYC's success, is making sure each filmmaker and their film get the proper attention and publicity that they deserve. Our publicity department works around the clock to ensure that filmmakers get as much coverage in news and local media. Filmmakers at the festival have had their films covered in various news publications around Queens and New York City, including the N.Y. Times, the NY Daily News, The NY Post, The Queens Chronicle, CBSN and NY1 News on Spectrum cable. Attending filmmakers each get a Q&A following their screening, giving them the chance to engage our audience. Additionally, Festival of Cinema NYC hosts panels, workshops and seminars that strongly appeal to filmmakers and those looking to break into the film industry. In previous. years seminars on distribution and production resources, as well as workshops by industry leaders such as Sag-Aftra and Seed & Spark, were held. Festival of Cinema NYC is a competitive festival that accepts films and media of all lengths, genres and subjects, with awards in 18 categories. Past Jury members have included Anna Garduno, Executive Producer at Netflix; Amy Peters, Emmy award winner; Doug LeClaire, founder of Asbury Shorts USA; and Isil Bagdadi, president of distribution at Cavu Pictures. Winners walk away with an amazing custom statuette as well as prizes being offered from some of our amazing sponsors which have included a cash prize towards your next production, screenwriting and budgeting software, a consultation with a distributor, and opt-in distribution deals.